"I just thought for these three days … you don't have a lot of free time, I needed a place to stay and it's cheaper than a Holiday Inn," said Whitehurst, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., and a former Clemson player. "You do hear a few more noises out there. But there's a 12-gauge (shotgun) over the fireplace and shells next to it, so I slept pretty well."

Asked if he's had to use the shotgun, Whitehurst chuckled.

"No, I didn't even load it," he said. "I've visualized it a few times. If I need to do something, I'm going to do it."

Whitehurst, a free agent signed to back up Jake Locker this season, said he used to be more of a hunter as a youngster. But he hasn't hunted a lot since he started playing college football because the two seasons often overlap.

Whitehurst spent all eight of his previous NFL seasons on the West Coast, with the Chargers and Seahawks.

"I still appreciate the South as much as I did," he said, "so (the transition) has not been too bad."

Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt talks with Titans running back Dexter McCluster (22) as he stretches before practice at St. Thomas Sports Park Thursday May 1, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: George Walker IV / THE TENNESSEAN)